Page 15 of Bagging the Blueliner
Our resident golden boy had taken what he wanted and lived to tell the tale. Now, he was living the life he’d always dreamed of, and I was living in hell.
I wanted to punch the smug look right off his pretty-boy face.
Chapter 5
Hannah
I loved my newjob. Better yet, I was good at it. Really good. With two road trips under my belt—one long and one short—it felt like I was hitting my stride.
Networking with members of the other teams’ staff, I was making a name for myself in the world that I loved. As Hannah, not as Coach Moreau’s daughter.
I held value for the first time in my adult life.
Beyond anthem singing, I didn’t work during home games. Even so, I found myself at the rink earlier, seeking out the opposing team’s travel coordinator. My motives might’ve been self-serving, but I made sure to give them tips on where to hang out when they were in town, hoping to direct their players to my favorite haunts.
I was a woman of action. I couldn’t very well expect a hockey player to fall face-first into my lap. I had to make it happen.
Tonight, we were playing the front half of a back-to-back—two games in consecutive days—which meant the Indy Speed,tomorrow’s opponent, were already in town. Luckily for me, their travel coordinator was a guy who hadn’t exactly been subtle in his interest in me, and I intended to exploit that.
Hanging by the curved glass doors, empty of seats as a passageway for the ice resurfacer, I watched the team warming up for tonight’s game against the Wisconsin Wolves. The players’ kids were pressed against the glass, beckoning for their dads to skate over and give them a wave.
I smiled, remembering my own youth doing the exact same. These were memories the kids would have for the rest of their lives.
Natalie wrestled with a squirming Charlie in her arms while her older three—Amelia, Jameson, and Beau—stood against the glass. Stepping up beside her, I reached out to relieve her of the struggle with the spirited two-year-old.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Natalie sagged against the wall. “Thank you. That girl is gonna be the death of me.”
Bouncing Charlie, I brought her close enough to the glass that she could place her hands on it, and she instantly settled. Smiling, I looked back at Natalie. “Looks like you’ve got a hockey girl on your hands.”
Looking skyward, she uttered, “God help us all.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” I accused.
“She’s a handful.”
“She’s spirited,” I countered. “There’s a difference.”
“Whatever you call it, I won’t survive the road trip out west next week. Ten days without Jaxon’s help? Charlie loses her shit when he’s gone on the overnight trips now.”
I glamorized the hockey partner lifestyle, but there were drawbacks—the constant road trips being one of them. Players spent at least one hundred days a year on the road, some trips longer than others, depending on the distance and schedule.
Occasionally, significant others traveled to away games, but it wasn’t feasible to attend every single one, especially if they had kids. Natalie highlighted the challenge of single-parenthood that came with the territory.
The constant travel demanded a high level of trust from the women left behind at home. It was no secret that women threw themselves at players, and many of the single guys on the team took full advantage of the easy pickings. The wives and girlfriends were trusting that their bond with their man was enough to avoid temptation.
Feeling guilty that I couldn’t help her out while the team was gone, I offered, “Call up my mom. I’m sure she’d be happy to come and hang out with the kids if you need a moment of peace. She loves them.”
Smiling, Natalie took Charlie back from me, careful to keep her close to the glass where she could see her dad. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Hannah.”
Warmups were wrapping up, and soon, the resurfacers would hit the ice to smooth it out before puck drop. If I was going to make sure the Speed players ended up at Spades tonight, I needed to make my move.
Grabbing my phone from my back pocket, I tapped out a quick text to the Speed’s travel coordinator, Jake.
Hey, Jake. Hope your flight from Indy was good. After the Comets game tonight, some of the players will be headed to Spades. Should be an easy walk from your hotel if you and some of your guys want to meet them there.
Indy was becoming a rival of sorts for the Comets. Both teams were coming into their stride and were strong contenders for a championship each year. Being in the same division, we often went head to head in the early rounds of the playoffs. The fans hated each other, and the battle on the ice was always hard-fought, but hockey was an incredible community. Off the ice, they were part of a brotherhood—connections ran deep, regardless of the team they played for. Even if they weren’t friends, there was always respect.
My phone buzzed in my hand, indicating a reply from Jake.
